KOCHI:Aimed at inspiring free thinking and personality development, Reading Week celebrations were kick started in the district on a colourful note with a rally and inaugural programmes at SNV Higher Secondary School, Paravur, on Tuesday. The district-level inauguration was inaugurated by poet S Ramesan Nair. The programme was launched with the Information and Public Relations Department, District Library Council and the Educational Department.
Paravur Municipal chairman Ramesh D Kurup inaugurated the rally. Hundreds of students from different schools in Paravur, holding placards and Malayalam alphabets on palm leaves, took part. Library Council district president P R Reghu presided over the inaugural meet. M R Surendran highlighted the importance of developing reading among children.
“Reading should be able to make one harness one’s own abilities and fantasies. The world can be transformed and made a better place with reading,” he said, after lightening the lamp to deliver the P N Panicker Memorial Lecture.
Famous writers and poets including P N Panicker, O N V Kurup, Vaikom Mohammad Basheer, Kesari Balakrishna Pillai and K V Das were honoured at the event. There was a book exhibition with Malayalam and English titles. The reading experiences of various students were also shared. Seminars highlighting the importance of reading were organised during the lecture. Essay competitions and awards for students reading the most number of books were also distributed at the event.
Councillor T V Nidhin, district information officer Nijas Jewel, Paravur Thaluk Library Council presidents C V Ajithkumar, Hari Vijayan, E G Santhakumari, P R Latha and K M Ashiq was also present at the programme.